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When hunting our marsh I've fallen into the habit of vesting my Chesapeakes any time it's cool enough for them to be comfortable in it, both to afford some protection from hazards:

and because energy not expended maintaining core temperature is available for other uses:

That, and I like to keep my partner and pal as comfortable as possible.

As for the notion that a dog stays wetter under a vest, it just doesn't (Ready for this?) hold water. Our marsh blind is a ten minute ride from the boathouse, and by the time the vest comes off at the dock, the fur under it is virtually dry, while the uncovered neck and shoulders that were shaken out and exposed to open air remain wet.

I actually agree, with what most have said, while I do believe it helps with warmth. I have hunted my dog in temps of 20-30 degrees, with no vest Cuz I forgot it, and the dog was fine. The real reasons my dog wears a vest, have nothing to do with warmth, Priority #1 is keeping me and hunting buddies dry in a boat, a dog with a vest doesn't spray water everywhere. Then there's the sticks, ice and other crap that has ripped and shredded the Kevlar but not shredded nor impaled the dog.

Last edited by Hunt'EmUp; 10-16-2013 at 04:26 PM.

"They's Just DAWGS"; "I train dogs, Not papers"
"Hunting is a skill to be learned whether you do it early or late it still needs to be learned"

I waterfowl hunt with my golden retrievers northern NY on the St. Lawrence river until mid-December. I not only vest them, but I DOUBLE VEST them. I use a 5mm base layer topped with 3mm vest. More protection, warmth and flotation.

A dog vest must be a snug or tight fit for it to assist the dog in keeping warm. It doesn't need to trap excessive amounts of water for it to contain the Doug's body heat. A damp coat will suffice.

Originally Posted by SpinRetriever

My own observation is that they work better with dogs that have high body mass to begin with. Put one on a Shorthair and it does help but in a relative sense it is still not that valuable. I have found those ShamWow towels are the best at drying them off when they get out of the water. The vest isn't gonna help much when the dog is dripping wet out of the water. The idea behind the neoprene is that it traps water between the vest and dogs body to create a layer of warmer water but eventually it drains out or the dog can't keep the water layer warm any longer. That is why the biggest benefit is with dogs that have high body mass. The other thing is that a thick double coat is both a blessing and a curse because the undercoat stays very wet so the dog needs the opportunity to shake. The vests prevents that to some degree.

I hunt a lot here i SD. It's cold late season but I mostly field hunt and use vest in late season simply for concealment. My dogs don't seem to get too cold. Strange thing is that when I used to water hunt more..it seemed my dogs would shiver more with vest on than when off. Kinda wonder if vest kept them wet vs natural drying??

Thanks guys! Lots of valid points I didn't thing of....two in particular, dealing with safety. Keeping the dog from getting injured from various objects AND the possibility of a dog getting caught. Never considered those two. I always thought it was about warmth. Seems like it's a pretty split decision though and based on personal experience and individual dogs.

Thinking about the cold an warmth issue, do you find having a little extra weight/fat on your dog adds benefit? They could still be fit and just carry a little extra layer. I'm coming at this from a nutrition standpoint. Insulation from the fat, but also fat to burn when doing bursts of activity like this....

DISCLAIMER: The above post is the opinionated and biased view of your's truly, Lonnie Spann, and is in no way intended to reflect the opinions or views of the unfortunate individuals named below who just happen to be doomed with guilt by association.

Member of CAHRC and North AL HRC. I train with AND AM FRIENDS WITH: Fishduck, Laidback, Splash_Em, RF2, Drake2014, Claimsadj, Hooked on Quackers, RookieTrainer and Roseberry.

One of my mentors is adamant that you need to carry a knife to cut your dog loose from anything he might get hung on (collar, vest, or otherwise). He is also adamant that you need to know how to operate whatever machinery you might need to use to go get him. If mine is gone too long I'm not asking if I can use the boat, 4-wheeler, etc., but that won't be much help if I don't know how to crank it and drive it. This has happened to him a couple times in buck brush, so his concerns are well founded.

This guy has almost got me paranoid. And with my stubborn dog, I will be glad of it at some point.

Originally Posted by suepuff

Thanks guys! Lots of valid points I didn't thing of....two in particular, dealing with safety. Keeping the dog from getting injured from various objects AND the possibility of a dog getting caught. Never considered those two. I always thought it was about warmth. Seems like it's a pretty split decision though and based on personal experience and individual dogs.

Thinking about the cold an warmth issue, do you find having a little extra weight/fat on your dog adds benefit? They could still be fit and just carry a little extra layer. I'm coming at this from a nutrition standpoint. Insulation from the fat, but also fat to burn when doing bursts of activity like this....

Thinking about the cold an warmth issue, do you find having a little extra weight/fat on your dog adds benefit? They could still be fit and just carry a little extra layer. I'm coming at this from a nutrition standpoint. Insulation from the fat, but also fat to burn when doing bursts of activity like this....

If you can keep any weight (extra or regular) on a hunting dog, during season, more power to yah; mine usually look like Skeletor, by the end of a weekend; that's after we've significantly increased their calorie intake.

Last edited by Hunt'EmUp; 10-17-2013 at 12:07 PM.

"They's Just DAWGS"; "I train dogs, Not papers"
"Hunting is a skill to be learned whether you do it early or late it still needs to be learned"